A judge has ruled that a Los Angeles real estate developer must allow hikers on the trail that cuts across his private property in Franklin Canyon. The popular Hastain Trail has been open to the public since before 1972, the last year that the law allowed private property to be presumed to be for public use if members of the public had been using it for five or more consecutive years. Mohamed Hadid, who purchased the 97 acres and has expressed interest in building luxury Mediterranean-style ho... Read More
An Italian court has found six scientists and one former government official guilty of manslaughter for failing to predict the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake that killed 286 people. The prosecution accused the seven men, who were, at the time, members of the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks, of giving falsely reassuring statements after tremors struck the area six days before the deadly quake occurred. The defense maintained that earthquake prediction remains ... Read More
Though it failed to beat out A-Basin this year, Loveland Ski Area did manage to nab the number two spot on Tuesday when it became the second Colorado ski resort to open for the season. “We know there are a lot of really anxious skiers and riders ready to get this season started,” said the ski area's spokesman, John Sellers. “Our snow quality is great and our team has been working really hard to open with these conditions.” A-Basin managed to open one intermediate run la... Read More
The southwest Indian state of Karnataka has ordered all resorts within its wildlife sanctuaries to be shut down following the Supreme Court's decision to lift the countrywide ban on tiger tourism and require individual states to present plans to protect their tiger populations. Forest Minister C.P. Yogeeshwara announced that the plan to shutter all commercial resorts and state-run guesthouses located in Karnataka’s forests was in response to a study that indicated a detrimental effect on... Read More
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that it has received five reports tying highly caffeinated energy drinks to sudden deaths. The reports came to light when a family filed suit last week against the makers of Monster Energy. Wendy Crossland says her 14-year-old daughter died of heart arrhythmia after drinking two large cans of the beverage on two consecutive days. Under current FDA guidelines, companies are not required to disclose caffeine levels in their beverages. A large ... Read More
